Notes By Fitrus

Characteristics of Tennyson’s poetry

Poetry of Victorian era rejected the idea of romanticism.Tennyson’s poetry has following
characteristics;

• REALISM
• NATURALISM
• Glory of Past
• Philosophical Ideas
• Intellectualism
• Modernism

REALISM:

It is of the chief characteristics of Alfred Lord Tennyson poetry that he sticks to

realism. He paints reality; therefore, it is safe to say that he never told a lie. He
tries to portray everyday life in the way we see it. He puts his submissions in
front of his readers as he sees it and his readers feel the same
NATURALISM:
Elaborating nature in poetry does not necessarily make a poet romantic.
Romantic poetry is all about passions and emotions and it touches the senses
as obvious from the poetry of John Keats. Naturalism in poetry, on the other
hand, is all about extreme realistic pictures of everyday society. Realism
means to talk about realistic problems and not the imaginary ones but
naturalism means to portray utmost realistic images. When a poet writes
poetry based on naturalism, he keeps in mind the external sources that may
influence a specific situation. In other words, the environment is the key factor
in naturalism.
Lord Alfred Tennyson is highly experienced in presentation of such realistic
images. He focuses on presenting an utterly realistic environment. Every
poem of this poet is evident that he never goes beyond the external
circumstances. Every situation, each incident and all elaborations in his
poems depicts natural elements. Hence, Naturalism becomes amongst the
greatest characteristics of Alfred Lord Tennyson Poetry.

GLORY OF PAST:
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The Greek past is famous for heroic figures. Mostly, the poets use allusions
from Greek poems; especially from Homer’s Iliad. In the same way, Tennyson
also likes to talk about the past. One of the best poems of Alfred Lord
Tennyson that is worth mentioning here is “Ulysses”. In this famous dramatic
monologue, he talks about Greek hero as well as explorer Ulysses. It seems
that he wants to let us know that the past was full of glorious victories. His
readers must have knowledge about the famous events from the past as he
uses far-fetched allusions. Past has much importance in the eyes of Alfred
Lord Tennyson and he has a soft spot to discuss it in his poetry due which
Glory of Past should also be added in the list of characteristics of his poetry.

PHILOSOPHICAL IDEAS:
The poet that does poetry for the sake of poetry never talks about
philosophical ideas. It is not wrong to say that romantic poets considered it a
sin to discuss philosophy in their poems. Tennyson broke the convention. His
poetry is full of revolutionary ideas. He motivates his readers and teaches
them philosophy of life. He also gives moral lessons to his readers; therefore,
his poetry is not only for the purpose of pleasure but also for the purpose of
learning. There is no denying the fact that he is a good teacher and also a
great reformer. He portrays themes based on philosophy. Thus, critics rightly
adjudges Alfred Lord Tennyson as a philosophical poet who explored the field
of philosophy while portraying philosophical ideas through his style,
metaphors, allusions, symbols and poetic devices due to which presentation
of philosophical ideas is also another major characteristics of his poetry.

INTELLECTUAL:
Poetry of this great Victorian poetry is based on reasons. There is logic in his
poetry. He never portrays a utopian world nor does he try to add extra ordinary
supernatural elements. He presents philosophy and realistic ideas; therefore,
there is no chance of leaving intellectualism behind. As mentioned earlier, Victorian
age was the age of development; therefore, readers were highly interested in
reading poetry that was based on reasoning. Intellectual poetry is against the
norms of romantic poetry. It is because romantic poetry is full of passions and
emotions whereas intellectual poetry rejects emotions and feelings. It is the
poetry of the mind. People who are highly emotional seldom like this type of

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poetry. Alfred Lord Tennyson writes poetry of logic and reasoning, hence,
intellectualism and logic become the greatest characteristics of his poetry.

MODERNISM:
The poetry that contains all the above mentioned elements is called modern
poetry. Like other ingredients, it also rejects the idea of romanticism. All above said
salient features best fit for modern poetry and Tennyson poems though not
completely yet near to modern poetry. Somehow, he does not remain mum on
modern social problems and discusses them in one way or the other. Symbolic
significance of every word in his poetry refers that modernism should not be
excluded from the list of major characteristics of Alfred Lord Tennyson poetry.

WRITING STYLE AND THEME OF HIS

POETRY
It is very difficult to study the characters of each poem of Tennyson; however, his
poetry has some basic characteristics.

1. Tennyson is a poet-artist. The way he has studied the art of poetry with
such singleness of purpose, no other poet of his age has studied it with such
intent. His poetry has a perfect melody and perfect end rhyme of the verse.
2. His poetry is didactic. He appears to be a teacher or leader or leader. He
focuses on individuality rather than universality, just like the preceding
writers of the French revolution.
3. The themes of Tennyson’s poetry are representative of the Victorian age. It
deals with the reign of order: the law of the spiritual world and exercising the
flawless man. His poems “In Memoriam,” The Princes,” and “Idylls of the
Kings” are three completely different poems. However, the theme of all is the
same.
4. He deals with the theme of spirituality and philosophy in his poetry and
uses proper diction. He talks about the establishment of law in both the
natural world and the spiritual world.
5. Because of Tennyson’s deep understanding of rhyme and rhythm, his
poetry has a variety of styles.

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6. He employed allusions, motifs, symbols, and images in his poetry. The

imprisoned woman and King Arthur and Camelot are his major symbols.
7. Some of his poetry has a simple and common language, whereas some of
his poetry employed excessively sensuous language. He was much interested
in scientific discoveries; therefore, his poetry has scientific language and also
employed poetic diction and metaphor science. His language is blended with
contrasting images that recur throughout the poem.
8. Like Romantic poets Keats and Edmund Spenser. Tennyson comprised a
richness of imagination, imagery, and controlled rhythm tactfully. His
language also has musical qualities.

The major themes of his poetry are:

DEATH
Death is a common theme of great poets; however, Tennyson deals with it in a
sustained and profoundly personal way. Tennyson wrote most of his poetry in the
aftermath of the death of his best friend, Arthur Hallam. His most celebrated poem,
“Ulysses,” deals with the struggling life of a great hero who, despite his old age, is
searching for life and approaching death. Similarly, his poem “Tithonus” deals with
the exhaustion of life in the world and the desire for death. the poem “The Two
Voices” is a constant debate to commit suicide or not. His most famous and
celebrated poem, “In Memoriam,” is a long poem thinking about the afterlife and
Tennyson’s desire to die to join his beloved friend after death.

In the same poem, he also appears to accept death as a part of the natural life cycle
and realizes that he can still discover comfort in the world until his hour comes. The
theme of acceptance of death is also manifested in his poem “Crossing the Bar,”
written in his late age.

NATURE
Another important theme of Tennyson’s poetry is nature. Tennyson portrayed
Nature as sensuous and beguiling; for example, in the poem “The Lotos-Eaters.” In
his poems, nature also plays a role in the constant reminder of the life cycle: the
cycle of birth to death; he also illustrates that if one tries to live out outside this
cycle, it will be only him/her misery and parting from mortal humanity.

Tennyson also portrayed nature as a strength for existence and life. He also used
Nature as a metaphor for death in the poem “Break, Break, Break” and “Crossing
for Bar.” Tennyson talks about how Nature casually discards species and causes
havoc. It is because of this, life is meaningless for the poet.

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GRIEF
Grief was the major party of Tennyson’s life, and it also infuses in his poetry. He
suffered from his parent’s death, the subsequent addiction and mental illness of his
family members, and the death of his close friend Arthur Hallam. Tennyson frankly
discusses despair in his poetry and talks about his struggle to use appropriate
words for the expression of his feelings. He also demonstrates the importance of
poetry in loss and sorrow. Some of his poems are excessively overwhelmed with
grief, and Tennyson wishes to die, whereas, in some of his poetry, he manages to
control his brief and accepts that it is part of life.

SPIRITUALITY
Tennyson was deeply adhered to hi Christian faith. His poem “In Memoriam” is a
vivid description of his Christian faith. He does not express his suspicions of faith
and religion, particularly in discussing the death of his friend Hallam. He was also
fond of scientific discoveries in his age and wonders of the idea that if Nature is
indifferent to man or only death can bring elimination of life/soul. He finds life
meaningless due to which he cannot find optimism and positivism in his life, and
only death will decrease his sufferings. However, at the end of the poem, the poet
lapses in faith are reconciled. He appears to accept the natural life cycle and
realizes that spirit is not eliminated; it develops to a more high state. He believes in
God’s planning for human beings, and human presence on earth is not unheeded
and meaningless.

TIME
Another major theme of Tennyson’s poetry is the implication of time. Tennyson
discusses old age and lasting exhausting and tiresome life. This theme is evident in
the poem “Ulysses,” “The Two Voices,” and “Tithonus.” Tennyson maintains the idea
that life in the world is full of despair as one keeps on separating from their loved
one. Moreover, knowledge, for Tennyson, is limited. He also talks about the
complicated time in the tension between religion and science. According to science,
time continues to be stretched, whereas religion claims the afterlife but does not
prove it. In his poetry, Tennyson basically reflects the idea that time is short and
momentary. If one continues to spend it on sadness, it is wasted.

COURAGE
Tennyson’s poetry features great individuals who continue to show courage despite
suffering. Though courage is admired universally, it was an important aspect of
personality in the Victorians era. In the poem “The Charge of the Light Brigade”
illustrates six hundred noble soldiers who went for battle, knowing that they will

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die. King Arthur and Camelot are his motifs in Tennyson’s poetry to illustrate
courage cannot only be shown on the battlefield but also in the face of death.

MAJOR WORKS OF TENNYSON:

In 1842 Tennyson published Poems, in two volumes, one containing a revised selection
from the volumes of 1830 and 1832, the other, new poems. The new poems included
“Morte d’Arthur,” “The Two Voices,” “Locksley Hall,” and “The Vision of Sin” and other
poems that reveal a strange naïveté, such as “The May Queen,” “Lady Clara Vere de
Vere,” and “The Lord of Burleigh”. In 1847 he published his first long poem, The
Princess, a singular anti-feminist fantasia.

In Memoriam is a vast poem of 131 sections of varying length, with a prologue

and epilogue. Inspired by the grief Tennyson felt at the untimely death of his
friend Hallam, the poem touches on many intellectual issues of the Victorian
Age as the author searches for the meaning of life and death and tries to come
to terms with his sense of loss. Most notably, In Memoriam reflects the
struggle to reconcile traditional religious faith and belief in immortality with
the emerging theories of evolution and modern geology.

Tennyson’s position as the national poet was confirmed by his Ode on the
Death of the Duke of Wellington (1852)—though some critics at first thought it
disappointing—and the famous poem on the charge of the Light Brigade at
Balaklava, published in 1855 in Maud and Other Poems. Maud itself, a
strange and turbulent “monodrama,” provoked a storm of protest; many of the
poet’s admirers were shocked by the morbidity, hysteria, and bellicosity of the
hero. Yet Maud was Tennyson’s favourite among his poems.

B. ROBERT BROWNING(1812-1889)
During his lifetime Browning was not considered as great as Tennyson, but after that the opinion of the
critics has changed in favour of Browning , who, on account of his depth and originality of thoughts, is
ranked superior to Tennyson. Browning and Tennyson were contemporaries and their poetic careers ran
almost parallel to each other.

CHARACTERISTICS OF BROWNING
POETRY:
1. Multiple Perspectives on Single Events

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The dramatic monologue verse form allowed Browning to explore and probe the
minds of specific characters in specific places struggling with specific sets of
circumstances. In The Ring and the Book, Browning tells a suspenseful story of murder
using multiple voices, which give multiple perspectives and multiple versions of the
same story. Dramatic monologues allow readers to enter into the minds of various
characters and to see an event from that character’s perspective. Understanding the
thoughts, feelings, and motivations of a character not only gives readers a sense of
sympathy for the characters but also helps readers understand the multiplicity of
perspectives that make up the truth. In effect, Browning’s work reminds readers that
the nature of truth or reality fluctuates, depending on one’s perspective or view of
the situation. Multiple perspectives illustrate the idea that no one sensibility or
perspective sees the whole story and no two people see the same events in the same
way. Browning further illustrated this idea by writing poems that work together as
companion pieces, such as “Fra Lippo Lippi” and “Andrea del Sarto.” Poems such as
these show how people with different characters respond differently to similar
situations, as well as depict how a time, place, and scenario can cause people with
similar personalities to develop or change quite dramatically.
2. The Purposes of Art
Browning wrote many poems about artists and poets, including such dramatic
monologues as “Pictor Ignotus” (1855) and “Fra Lippo Lippi.” Frequently, Browning
would begin by thinking about an artist, an artwork, or a type of art that he admired
or disliked. Then he would speculate on the character or artistic philosophy that
would lead to such a success or failure. His dramatic monologues about artists
attempt to capture some of this philosophizing because his characters speculate on
the purposes of art. For instance, the speaker of “Fra Lippo Lippi” proposes that art
heightens our powers of observation and helps us notice things about our own lives.
According to some of these characters and poems, painting idealizes the beauty
found in the real world, such as the radiance of a beloved’s smile. Sculpture and
architecture can memorialize famous or important people, as in “The Bishop Orders
His Tomb at Saint Praxed’s Church” (1845) and “The Statue and the Bust” (1855). But
art also helps its creators to make a living, and it thus has a purpose as pecuniary as
creative, an idea explored in “Andrea del Sarto.”

3. The Relationship Between Art and Morality

Throughout his work, Browning tried to answer questions about an artist’s
responsibilities and to describe the relationship between art and morality. He
questioned whether artists had an obligation to be moral and whether artists should
pass judgment on their characters and creations. Unlike many of his contemporaries,
Browning populated his poems with evil people, who commit crimes and sins ranging
from hatred to murder. The dramatic monologue format allowed Browning to

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maintain a great distance between himself and his creations: by channeling the voice
of a character, Browning could explore evil without actually being evil himself. His
characters served as personae that let him adopt different traits and tell stories
about horrible situations. In “My Last Duchess,” the speaker gets away with his wife’s
murder since neither his audience (in the poem) nor his creator judges or criticizes
him. Instead, the responsibility of judging the character’s morality is left to readers,
who find the duke of Ferrara a vicious, repugnant person even as he takes us on a
tour of his art gallery.
Conclusion
Overall, what one can take from Browning’s work is that the poet himself lived
according to one of his more prevalent themes: the quest. A mercurial and
intellectually adventurous man who sought to document his ever-changing attitudes
and beliefs into art, Robert Browning saw the human struggle as a noble quest
towards an impossible goal of perfection, and luckily thought to immortalize that
struggle as best he could.

WRITING STYLE OF BROWNING:

• Dramatic Monologue: His critical reputation rests mainly due to his dramatic
monologues. It is a form of speech addressed to a silent listener. Its aim is
‘character study’ or ‘psycho-analysis. The poet may speak in self-justification or in
a mood of detached self-explanation, contented, resigned or remorseful. The
character sketch of the speaker and even the other person involved in the vent is
clearly described.
• Robert had established his career first as a poet and then as a playwright.
His unique ideas added a lot to the literary world. His works won global
recognition marked by allusive imagery, symbolic structures, dramatic
monologue, a blend of dark humor and Irony. His early works: “Pauline”
and Paracelsus” brought him to the center of criticism, and his later
masterpieces earned him a reputable place among literary circles. Robert
successfully used dramatic monologue techniques which enabled the
readers to see an event using the character’s lenses. Moreover, he
explored the beauty of the real-world using artistic techniques in his
poems, “Fra Lippo Lippi” and “Pictor Ignoyus”. The recurring themes in
most of his poems are loss, love, the relationship between arts and
mortality, politics, religion, and society.

MAJOR WORKS:

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• Best Poems: Robert Browning is a great Victorian poet, some of

his famous poems include: “My Last Duchess”, “The Pied Piper of
Hamelin”, “Porphyria’s Lover”, “Hilde Roland to the Dark Tower”, “The
Lost Leader”, “Meeting at Night”, “Fra Lippo Lippi”, and “The
Laboratory.”

1.‘My Last Duchess’ :

This poem is a masterpiece because it does what Browning’s

dramatic monologues do best: invites us into the confidence of
a speaker whose conversation reveals more about their
personality and actions than they realise. The poem is not a
narrative poem because it has a speaker rather than a narrator,
but it nevertheless tells a story of a doomed marriage, a man
capable only of irrational jealousy and possessive force, and
male pride (indeed, arrogance and privilege too) that barely
conceals the fragile masculinity just lurking beneath.

‘Fra Lippo Lippi’:

So begins this, the first of two poems on this list to feature a

medieval monk, and the first of two to feature a painter – ‘Fra
Lippo Lippi’ sees the titular friar being accosted by some guards
one night, and ending up drunkenly telling them – and us –
about his whole life. In a poem like ‘Fra Lippo Lippi’ one can
clearly see why Ezra Pound was influenced by Browning’s
dramatic monologue, with their plainness of speech and the
bluff, no-nonsense manner of Browning’s characters.

C. WILLIAM MORRIS(1834-96):
William Morris who was an eminent designer and decorator besides being a poet, was chiefly interested
in the Middle Ages.

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His object of writing poetry was to revive the true Gothic spirit, and these poems interpreted ardours
and mysteries of the Middle Ages which the Victorians has forgotten. Morris, tried to bring back to life
the true spirit of the Middle Ages.

Characteristics of his Poetry:

• Morris is a pre-Raphaelite in the sense that he wrote poetry mainly with the object of creating
beauty.
• His poems have a harmonious and musical flow, the verity and suppleness of which recall at
once the styles of Chaucer and Spenser.
• In whatever form he writes – Blank verse, Rhymed verse, the complicated or the simple stanza—
he can produce Exquisite music which castes its fascinating spell on the readers.
• In all his poetry the love oof adventure the attraction of an imaginary word, where beautiful
humans lives bloom out in open nature and unrestricted liberty where happiness, suffering and
death have themselves a dignity unknown in the real world made ugly by industrialization
inspired Morris.
• The Charm office poems lies mainly in their indefiniteness and their remote atmosphere which
sooth the aching of a mind disturbed and tortured by the tyranny of an vulgar present.
• His poetry is the result if the reaction of a wounded sensibility against the sordidness and
ugliness of the real word.

His works:
His first volume of poems – The Defence Of Guenevere and Other Poems (1858)- gives expression to his
anthusiasm for the Middle Ages.

For nine years after his first volume of poems, Morris did not write anything when he did resume his
literary work, his style had intirely changed.

The Life and death of Jason is a first of a long series of narrative poems which forms the bulk of his
contribution to literature.

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